Publications

Over the last five years, the Excluded Lives team has been examining the patterns and processes of school exclusions across the UK in order to identify those factors which may exacerbate or reduce exclusions. One of most the striking aspects is the contrasting accounts of the causes of exclusion provided by professionals and pupils. Drawing…

Parents have highlighted that they felt powerless in the school exclusion process because school staff speak louder and have all the authority. This study draws on Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation to analyse parents’ experiences of the school exclusion process. At the bottom of Arnstein’s ladder is nonparticipation; citizens cannot participate in decision-making in this…

Having safe schools is of the upmost importance, but evidence has shown that school buildings often do not achieve this and that the most disadvantaged students get the worst provision. This research examines whether school buildings can create the conditions for disruptive behaviour. Using the example of the UK’s 21st Century Schools Programme, which has…

As part of a larger ESRC-funded project on the political economies of school exclusions in the UK, this research examines alternative provision (AP). AP is where children and young people at risk of exclusion are removed from mainstream education. The AP sector does not provide a transitional pathway. Instead it is a complex disarray of…

Despite private tutoring gaining increasing popularity in many countries, studies of the choice of and rationale for private tutoring among Chinese parents before and after the ‘‘double reduction’’ policy (issued on July 24, 2021) in China are limited. This mixed-methods paper compares parents’ choice of private tutoring before and after the policy and the role…

This report presents findings from new research comparing the job quality, other than pay, of private and state school teachers in post-pandemic England and Wales, including those based at elite private schools, based on a survey of private and state school teachers who are members of the National Education Union. Information was obtained from 14,212…

Here, we provide a summary of key findings from our 11th survey (2022-23). Topics include trust in schools, pupil confidence, the Welsh language, school uniforms, climate concerns, pupil’s views on politics and the monarchy, recent strikes and protests, missing out on school trips, and pupils’ aspirations.

This report provides an analysis of the key differences and similarities in the landscape of alternative education provision (AEP) in the UK. As part of the ESRC-funded Excluded Lives Project, it attempts to illuminate some of the contextual factors that may contribute to the very different rates of school exclusion in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland…

Historically Wales has been regarded as a country with relatively low levels of school exclusion, particularly in comparison with England. This has been used as an indicator of Wales’ commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which foregrounds a rights-based agenda that would argue school exclusion is a consequence of broader…

Foreword The WISERD Education Multi-Cohort Study (WMCS) recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The WMCS is a longitudinal study of children and young people in Wales. It was established in 2012 by Professor Sally Power and Professor Chris Taylor to chart the progress of children and young people growing up in Wales. Under their stewardship the…